In the Twilight
by FaiNeko
Summary: You never know where all starts and where all ends, traveling in the subconscious is always interesting or it is all real?. I am just a weapon? Kakashi. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Hello, I am coming back at the site again, it was a hard time for me because I was been harassed by a guy, now I am going to repost some of my stories, this is one of them. Thank you for reading.

The concept of 'the place of the lost things' is not mine; it is from an episode of the Twilight Zone.

This is an AU of sorts.

This one is set after a big fight where Kakashi is seriously injured.

I hope you all enjoy.

In the twilight

Kakashi felt that light engulf him after he emptied his stomach. The ANBU had him and he was being transported home by them.

He awoke in an unknown place. He shifted on what he supposed was the floor; he moved just a little to be in a more comfortable position. He moved his head side to side and the only thing he could see was racks like archives or something like that.

The room was packed with several racks full of things. He was in the middle of one of them. He concealed his chakra because he didn't know if he was in enemy territory or not.

He knew one thing; it was not in the grass country or home and Naruto or Sakura weren't near. He moved his limbs, checking for injuries because he remembered he was in really bad shape after the powerful attack. Nothing was wrong; he was rather in the same shape as always.

He checked for a genjutsu, exposing his sharingan a little, not wanting to waste energy. No it wasn't a genjutsu.

He moved, crawling to get out from the position on the rack where he was. He stuck his head out to see. He took notice that he was at least 20 feet above floor level.

That was really strange. The place appeared to be like a warehouse. The roof was at least another 30 feet long. There were things like lamps or something hanging. The light was no good. You could see but not clearly.

The place was too silent. It appeared there was no one there. He decided to investigate where he was. He moved carefully, not wanting to make a move that could make the rack stumble and fall. He jumped easy and fell to the floor, ready to attack or defend himself.

He moved from the spot, turning his head and looking for any treat or trap. No there is nothing dangerous. He moved close to one of the racks and investigated the content of the slot.

There was a fluffy bear without an eye, something like a key with something like buttons or colors the material something he had never seen before; black and soft but strong at some point. He looked at the next slot and there was a blanket, a blue blanket, and a small little toy puppy and a suitcase of letters in black.

The place was packed with a lot of things; some are new others are old, but everything had something like a tag with something written on them. He couldn't read what was written there. It was an unknown language for him.

Then he checked himself and he found the same kind of tag with something written on him. He is more confused. What was this place? Why was he there?

Then he sensed somebody coming closer to him. He decided to stand there and wait for the newcomer. He could hear small steps, more like shuffling steps.

He waited for what like feel like an eternity, and finally he saw a shadow around the corner at the end of the rack. The shadow made a stop near the end of the corner. He heard the sound of moving things, then the sound stopped and the shuffling sound begin again but the shadow just retreated. He was very frustrated. All that waiting for nothing.

Tired of the situation, Kakashi began to walk to catch the shuffling person. He neared the corner with little effort. He stopped there, looking perplex at the corridor in front of him. The place was even bigger than he imagined in the first place. There are aisles behind aisles of racks, and the person was nowhere to be seen. It had banished in the air.

He was now just a little worried. He unleashed his chakra and started to look for the stranger who could vanish into the air. He located him near. He moved really quick but suddenly it vanished again.

That was really weird. He tried again, and again he failed. Then he heard his name called, and he moved his head faster at the source of that, but he didn't look like anything. That was really strange. Now he was a little more worried.

He began to walk around the place. He began to investigate the things in the slots near the floor. There are a few interesting things.

And then it happened. He found something he lost a long, long time ago. He took the half of the blade in his hands like it was something valuable, so sacred. It was the half blade of the sword he broke in the earth country some time ago.

He looked at the blade with a few tears in the corner of his eyes. Then a cough from behind took him out of his musings. He turned around fast, but the old man was in front of him. He was not startled about his sudden moves. Otherwise he looked amused at his reactions.

The old man was short, very short, and was dressed with in marine blue pants and shirt with black industrial boots; he was looking at him with a smirk in his eyes and mouth. Kakashi was really startled about this. His stance was not what it had to be; he was so open and he knew it.

"This is mine," was what Kakashi managed to say to the strange old man who just appeared in the air.

"Are you sure young man? Let's see the tag." The old man took the tag and the half blade. He examined it with his face very close to the tag. Kakashi was just too stunned to make any move; he just observed and waited.

"Is your name Kakashi Hatake, young man?" asked the old man, watching him with critical eyes.

"Yes it is," Kakashi replied easily. The old man sighed and began to walk with the blade in his hands.

"Okay, we need to fill the forms and it is all yours again." Kakashi then, with curiosity, began to walk with him. He was watching the old man with a new interest.

"Excuse me what is this place?"

"It is the place of the lost things."

"The place of the lost things?"

"Yes, every time a thing is lost it comes here, waiting to be found again."

Kakashi was just lost. He didn't understand the explanation at all, but he made the next question.

"And who are you?"

"I'm the keeper. If something is found, I delivered to the owner."

"And why I'm here?"

"That is something interesting young man. When I received you, I made the same question and I found the answer in this." The old man stopped in front of a large desk and moved the back. Kakashi stood in the front, looking everywhere, trying to understand the meaning of the situation. The old man, with the half blade in hand said "I think somebody thinks about you like a tool or like an object. That's the only explanation I found, because it is the first time something like this has happened." The keeper looked at Kakashi with a friendly smile and handed him the half blade.

Kakashi accepted the blade and he looked it with a distant expression, trying to understand everything. This was really something very strange; maybe it was just an extreme strange dream."This is not a dream, it is real."

That startled Kakashi a lot; the man just read his mind?

"I'm not reading your mind. It is all written on your face."

His face.

Kakashi moved his hand to his face and found that there was no mask there. He then looked at the old man with fear and surprise. That was the first time something like that had happened. The old man, just smiled and moved his hand dismissing anything.

"Don't worry about anything. Come, you need to eat something you look so scrawny." Kakashi moved to the other side of the desk and he sat on a small couch where the man signaled him to sit. "Where did you lose it?"

Kakashi was so shocked that he didn't understand the question from the old man. But he signaled with his head at the half blade, waiting for the answer. The old man was just as thrilled as Kakashi. He wanted to know more about the strange boy. Besides, he was always alone and the company was well received.

He looked the blade in his hands and rolled it a little, observing how it looked like new, like the time it doesn't pass over it. He remembered the moment like it was yesterday. He told all to the old man. He felt like he didn't need to hide anything from him. He just saw his face and he didn't say anything about it. It appeared he didn't know anything.

The old man was really amazed to hear the story. He asked Kakashi a lot questions about everything. To Kakashi, that was something strange because the man did not know anything about ninjas at all.

The keeper was really happy to have somebody to talk to. They ate some sort of soup; a tasty soup. Kakashi was talking to the man like he never talked. He felt really at peace.

He began to ponder one thing: was he dead? And this was this some sort of place…no he was not dead, not yet.

"Come young man, accompany me to search for this." The man took out a piece of paper from nowhere. He stood and Kakashi stood with him. They began to walk a little and then they were in a different place. Kakashi looked at his surroundings and it appeared they were far from the desk. That was very strange and interesting. The old man was more than it seemed.

They walk the rest of the "day," retrieving things from here or there. Some things are big and others are really small.

The old man looked at Kakashi with a smile on his face and looked the item in his hand; Kakashi looked at the item too. It was an engagement ring. Both men smiled and began the process again. Kakashi noted that he wasn't tired; in fact he felt good. It appeared they didn't use so much effort looking for lost items.

Kakashi was really entertained with all the processes. The orders of work appeared in the air and they just looked and delivered in a designated area.

Then the old man stopped at the desk and signaled the clock. It signaled seven o'clock. The old man moved a little nearer to the clock attained at the wall and he put a piece of paper in a tiny slit, then he hit a black button with his hand and the clock made a chopping sound and the keeper stored the paper in a small box near the clock. The keeper moved around the back of the desk.

"This was a good day. Let's rest for tomorrow. Do you want sleep here or do you want to return at your place?"

Kakashi was stunned again. He had a place, of course, he had a tag so he was an item too. He sighed and slumped his shoulders more than usual. The old man chuckled and he smiled a little. All day he didn't wear his mask. It is hanging around his neck.

"I prefer to be in here if it is not a bother."

"It's fine, you can sleep in the couch."

The old man moved in a small office and Kakashi followed him, scanning the area with interest. He admired the place. It was a house with a living room, dining room, kitchen, one bed room, bathroom, and a small service room too. The house was really roomy.

The old man makes the diner and both men eat something like noodles but strange with some kind of tomato sauce and cheese, with meat balls. It was strange but it tasted good.

This went several days. Kakashi counted them in accord with the men marking the paper in the clock machine in the wall and he counts a week now. How much he is going to be in that place?

_Continue…._


	2. Chapter 2

The Keeper and Kakashi were searching for an item, while walking at the same pace. One would say that they looked alike; like father and son. Their hair and slouched posture they presented themselves with was like an endearing picture.

As time passed, they became friends, sometimes joked and chatted about their delivery and the strange things around them.

"Found it," said Kakashi as he lifted something made of metal with drawings of bunnies on it.

Suddenly, Kakashi felt pain shoot throughout his body. The Keeper became concerned and helped him to sit on the floor. He took the item from Kakashi's hand and placed it on a rack nearby.

Kakashi was panting in his attempts to ease the pain, but it was no use and he began to lose consciousness again. A bright light engulf him and The Keeper was left alone once again.

Kakashi opened his eye and quickly closed it when the bright white of his surroundings was overwhelming. He tried opening his eye again, slower this time. He turned his head in search for The Keeper, but he was nowhere to be found, in fact, he was not where he remembered. Instead, he found himself in some sort of white space, which then made him suspicious and alert.

The first thing he noticed was the absence of his tags, then he checked his mask and found it still in place. He checked his weapons, even the half of the blade; he checked with his fingers and all, everything was where it should be.

Then he heard a small sob, and he turned towards it; to a huddled figure in the distance, maybe a crying child. He felt a wave of relief knowing that he was not alone anymore. He took a step and then a flash of light ran from his foot, in a straight line giving a clear route to finish again in his foot, he observed the line of light that was flashing colours.

He gave another step and something similar happen, but this time the line of light was broader. He could distinguish the colours as hues of green, blue, brown, and yellow. The child-like figure was crying more now, giving him an anxious feeling in his stomach. He moved, stepping carefully, weary and aware of his new surroundings.

Then the same flash of light appeared, but this time it was brighter and made him cover his eye with his arm out of instinct. When he uncovered it, he was able to see the blurry image of one the training fields in his home. He felt a relief; a happiness, _I'm back_.

He looked at the child and with confidence he walked the next step, but a piercing sound stop him. His head hurt like a blasting in his head, he stumbled and fell as he clutched his head in his hands. He progressively felt dizzy and as if his head was about to explode.

When the noise stopped, he cracked open an eye to see white again, but it was not the same kind of bright white, it was more like walls. He looked around and heard the subtle sound of paper rustling before everything turned black.

He opened his eye and realized that he had a clear view of the field, the smell of the grass and the forest. He moved his body, taking in his surroundings as a small smile graced his face.

It was time to go home.

He moved his right foot carefully and took a step. He closed his eye, but nothing happen. He opened it again and walked three more steps. He stopped expecting something to happen, but nothing did.

Then he saw the kid, he walked and then everything around him spun, he kneeled in his attempts to obtain some control over his senses and balance, but then everything stopped. He lifted his head and came face to face with the boy.

They both fell backwards with a look of surprise. The boy's face was stained with tears and dirt, his hair was pulled back in a bushy ponytail. Kakashi looked at him, and felt that there was something familiar about the boy.

The boy then opened his eyes wide with the realization that he was front of a stranger; a potential dangerous stranger. He tried to escape.

"Tiaw," is what came out of the copy nin's mouth.

The boy stopped at hearing the strange language from the man. He became curious, and had the sudden need to now know more about the stranger with a mask and one eye.

He took a seat in front of the stranger and asked, "uoy era ohW?"

Kakashi saw him trying to catch the meaning of the words but he is too confused that he failed.

The boy then thinks that the man must be stupid, or slow witted. He then has an idea, and grabbed a handful of grass and pulled, taking it out with its roots and dirt. He smoothed the dirt out and with a stick he wrote his name. He moved his face with a smile directed to the man in front of him.

Kakashi watched the boy's movements, the boy then gestured at his written name for the man to read, but Kakashi couldn't understand what it said, to him, the symbols didn't make any sense.

The boy became upset and thought as the man in front of him is frustrating, but then he had another idea.

He looked at Kakashi in the eye, and Kakashi returned the gaze, but his was filled with doubts and uncertainty. But he followed the movements of the boy made.

First, he signalled the person with his thumb. Kakashi nodded in understanding, and the young boy smiled. Then, he made a signal with his hand like something similar to waves, the nin nodded again. Then the young boy put his palms together and moved them together like something swimming, and finally with one hand he made a movement of something jumping.

He looked at the nin with a serious expression, waiting for the other's response.

Kakashi took a second to think, then it made sense. He is…. he moved his right hand to the young boy's face and traced a line across his cheek, that was hidden from the dirt and found the familiar scar. He smiled and said, "Akuri"

The young boy smiled with a blush on his cheeks from the contact, but somehow he felt that the stranger finally understood. The man then withdrew his hand and signalled at the symbol on his forehead, the boy then move forward and with his small fingers he traced the symbol of the village where he lived.

The boy understood, _He is one of ours then, but he don't speak our language. Hhe can't be dumb, what happen to him then?_ Iruka now feel safe because he was not alone, and with one of the men who cared for the village.

Kakashi looked around and Iruka followed his gaze, when a crow appeared and that is what the nin needed. He stood up and made exaggerated movements to scare the bird away, then he looked at the boy with a smile.

Iruka was scared to, but then he understood, and smiled, "Ihsakak"

Kakashi smiled sat cross legged next to Iruka, and asked by following a trail of tears with his finger in his face. The boy stared at him and then his eyes began to fill with tears. Kakashi panicked, and he did the first thing he was able to think of; he embraced the young boy with his arms and sat him on his lap. Iruka sobs turned painful, and the copy nin was only able to be there for him.

He opened his eye, and found himself resting back on the grass with his arms extended out to his sides. He tried to move, but couldn't. He sighed and focused on what he had in front on him; stars.

How many years since the last time he stay relaxed and look at them? He sighed again, forcing himself to relax and enjoy the moment. He thought about his problem in the other moment. He can hear the familiar sound of his home, and he felt at ease. No more strange things and people.

A cold breeze sent a shiver through his body and he heard a soft whine at his side. He craned his neck to look down at the figure next to him to see the adult form of the child sleeping at his side. He smiled thinking of the irony the moment held. The wind pick up and he tremble again.

The man at his side moved closer to him and wrapped his arms around him, using his arm has pillow, and Kakashi couldn't believe the situation.

But he let it be, he was grateful because now he didn't feel cold. Then everything went white again.

_This is kind of boring now, _he thought to himself, _now what?_

The beeping machines sounded too much like chirps. He turned his head. There was no grass, no dirt, no bamboo stalks, and no starry night sky. Just the dimpled, tiled ceiling of a hospital, and the flicker of artificial light. It was such a stark white, it could have been the blinding beams of the moon.

His eyes began to adjust. No, it was just the ceiling.

The room was cold and quiet, and wholly imbued with the melancholy reserved for the dying. Yet he had not died. The tiny start of a grin spread across his face.

"I'm pretty tough, for an old man," he wheezed.

Something jumped beside him. Papers spilled to the floor.

"Kakashi-san, you're awake!"

The voice was familiar. But not too familiar.

"Tsunade-sama! He's awake!"

His eyes rolled over to see who it was that was shouting. Really, it was the hospital. There were people resting. Iruka-sensei, he ought to know better.

_Iruka-sensei? _A small smile appears on his face.


End file.
